Dark Tales and Good Times

Since no one was so kind, or could be bothered to write a recap in absence of Ben, I will kindly write a short synopsis of what occured in Har'Akir.

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The party left Dragon Mountain only to find themselves in a desert wasteland. They fell unconscious of thirst. A kind man saved them and sent them on their way. They fought some scorpion-men. They reached Soluuman, the capitol of Har'Akir.

The party saved Soluuman's water supply by destroying a nest of sandmen. The party saved Soluuman's food supply by killing a clan of giants. The party found two artifacts for Har'Akir's ruler Ankhtepot. Ankhtepot betrayed and fought them. The party fought Ankhtepot a second time and destoryed him. The party disappeared.

The End of Chapter 3

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If anyone wants to bother to do better, I dare you.

      ?Ben, you slovenly cur,? you may say to yourself if you are one so inclined as to be crazy. ?Why did you leave so much out of last week?s recap? Apparently, there was some big fight between your party and the group known as Black Death. Not to mention a whole section of you chaps running through a veritable gauntlet of kobolds. What gives??

      Well I will tell you what gives?me. I was way behind on the recaps, and really, I do not think you need to hear ?we went into a room, arrows and portcullises abound,? several hundred times. As for the fight with Black Death, well we won. I got crit?d by a kobold and proceeded to rape him with my polearm, and there was a general consensus that we had kicked ?the ass.? In addition, I don?t know what happened after that point until I join my compatriots in time for another kobold fight in the residential district. If it will make you feel better though, we will begin this week?s pyromania special with last week?s super-explosive blood plume extravaganza. Get the kobolds on deck and prepped to die and cue the opening credits.

      Shannara, our conscientious paladin, played by Adam

      Kavaki, our convalescent warlord, no longer played by Luke

      Squire, our incandescent wizard, played by Chris

      Arlen, our anarchic sorcerer, played by Kyle

      Rallaster, our sanguinary avenger, played by Andrew

      Mandoon, our effervescent warden, played by Ben

      And Shawn, our distended DM, played by Shawn

      The door splintered beneath Mandoon?s boot, caving inward before falling to the floor in the adjoining room. Staring back at him through the opening was a small militia of kobolds, weapons leveled on the warden. Before he could act a thousand tiny shapes poured over the top of the doorframe, mingling together with larger, winding shadows. They took to the ceiling just about Mandoon and Shannara before dropping down on their heads. Two swarms, one of spiders, the other snakes, ambushed the two defenders before they could get in the door.

      Shannara quickly shook off the snakes that slithered about him and moved back, leaving Mandoon standing in the doorway. Squire stepped behind Mandoon, far enough to be clear of the snakes.

      ?Can you hold on a minute??

      The warden grunted as he felt hundreds of spider crawling in though the gaps in his armour and biting his flesh. The combined toxins began to numb his limbs and he slumped against the wall.

      ?A minute,? he repeated. The wizard nodded and began working his hands as though he was molding soft clay into a ball. Frost began to form on his fingers as he muttered arcane words. He then threw the magic he had been building up into the centre of the adjoining room. Mandoon felt an icy wind on his face as the invisible fulcrum of magic rushed past him. There was a shuddering pop in the other room, and instantly most of the kobolds standing there had been flash frozen in place.

      ?Not to worry, Mandoon,? Arlen said. ?I can take care of nasty bugs for you.? Before Mandoon could cry out in protest, the sorcerer cast one of his own chaotic spells. A mad wind whipped up and surrounded Mandoon, tearing the spiders off his skin and scattering both swarms of creatures about him. The warden opened his eyes and checked himself to find not a single wound or singe on his hide armour. He looked at the sorcerer, who was grinning triumphantly.

      ?Well done,? Mandoon said, his face betraying his utter bewilderment. A stirring in the other room brought the warden back to his senses. Rushing in and drawing his halberd, Mandoon thrust the weapon out and swept it through two of the kobolds who had already shaken off Squire?s frost magic. The others soon joined him and they began hacking their way through the kobolds that came forward to meet them.

      On the far side of the small chamber, a small group of kobolds had clustered around a particularly large member of their number. He pointed at the goliath warden and barked at the assembled kobolds.

      ?Garunak say kill!?

      The kobolds around him began shouting ?Garunak? as they approached Mandoon and his companions, who had finished cleaving through half of their number. Still in the other room, Squire began focusing his spellcasting on Garunak and his elite in their rear position. The bursting fire prompted the rest of the kobolds, including their leader, to rush forward and attack the party as well.

      As Mandoon slammed into one of the kobolds, knocking it from its feet, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He quickly rounded on another kobold that was holding a short sword drenched in the warden?s blood. The retributive spirit that inhabited his weapon began to cry out in rage and the weapon shone a violent purple. Mandoon?s eyes glazed over and he shouted the name of his clan with vigour as he brought the blade down on the now terrified creature. The blade sundered the creature?s skull and carried on through the torso, splitting bone and viscera without difficulty until it reached the tiles beneath.

      Kavaki, who fought alongside the warden, spotted Garunak approaching and turned the warden?s rage on the leader of Black Death by provoking the kobold into attacking and leaving himself open. Mandoon struck a mighty blow against the large kobold, sending it reeling into Shannara who delivered the killing blow.

*** A day later ***

      ?Check the surrounding buildings,? Shannara said, peering over the ledge of the stairwell. ?Make sure we don?t get ambushed from behind when we get down there.?

      Mandoon shuffled off and peered through one of the nearby windows. There was nothing but darkness there to return his gaze. The furniture had been cleared out long ago it looked like, dust having settled everywhere Mandoon could see.

      ?Clear,? he grunted. He was in a melancholy mood because the party no longer trusted him. They had no faith in his strength after his hesitation in the gauntlet. He sighed heavily as he made his way towards the next building. He had not made two steps before the door burst open a small group of kobolds rushed out. Several other doors were similarly broken down and the party found themselves surrounded.

      ?So be it,? Mandoon yelled, rushing up and swiping at two of the kobolds. The foursome surrounded him and began to jostle him back and forth. Mandoon let them encircle him because it allowed him to keep them all under his control. If any kobold made to move away, he was able to lash out at it.

      Kavaki soon joined Mandoon as he could see Arlen, Shannara, and Rallaster had the rest of the kobolds well in hand. The warlord moved around the group?s flank, striking the kobolds and goading them into retaliating, only to have Mandoon?s halberd come sailing towards them. Soon only one creature remained, and feeling outnumbered it retreated. Mandoon?s long strides allowed him to catch up quickly though and strike him down.

      Looking to the stairwell Mandoon could see Arlen cornered by three kobolds who were pressing him against the ledge above the descending stairs. Twenty feet lay between the sorcerer and the steps below. Mandoon watched as the sorcerer took a step back and fall over the ledge as though he did not know it was there, only to disappear a moment later and reappear behind the kobolds who had been assailing him. As the kobolds peered over the ledge to see the flattened sorcerer, Arlen worked a quick spell behind them, unleashing a blast that sent them toppling over the ledge. The sorcerer laughed manically as the creatures flailed out into the open air.

      Turning his attention back to the battle, Mandoon noticed one of the kobolds trying to flee down the stairs. Trusting in his magic boots to slow his descent he leapt down the twenty feet onto the stairwell and gave chase. The length of his halberd combined with his already long reach allowed him to catch his prey and pin him down. Close behind, Shannara too was giving chase and the pair were able to cut down the kobold before he could run into helping hands.

      Regrouping at the top of the stairs, the party decided to head downwards.

      ?When do you think Squire will catch up,? Mandoon asked the paladin as they rounded upon another landing.

      ?Well the child was quite shaken by our run through all those murderous corridors. It could be some time before he is able to calm little Texas.?

      ?We could just kill him!?

      ?Shut it, Rallaster.?

      ?Whatever, pussy.?

      The warden rounded on the human avenger, hand over his shoulder on the haft of his halberd.

      ?What was that??

      ?Mandoon we don?t have time for this,? Shannara warned, putting his own hand on the warden?s shoulder. The goliath made a rough turn and strode away from the avenger.

      The landing at the bottom was another hallway, splitting in two directions. Across from the stairs were a large set out double doors made or banded iron. Shannara tested the door and, finding it unlocked, pushed it open. The room beyond housed a massive underground coliseum. Four ramps rose up from the centre, flanked by rows of chairs, reaching towards the four entrances to the room. The centre of the chamber housed a raise alter within a bowl.

      Mandoon stepped forward and began heading down the ramp.

      ?What are you doing?? Kavaki said, ?It?s probably a trap.?

      ?Probably,? Mandoon said. ?But the worst that can happen is a bunch of kobolds ambush us and we kill them. Then we get whatever treasure they?ve left in there as well as the experience of crushing their draconian skulls.?

      Rallaster grinned and followed Mandoon down the ramp, Arlen at his heels. Shannara sighed and turned to Kavaki with a shrug.

      ?I suppose we?ll have to protect them,? he said.

      ?Do what you want paladin! I?m staying up here where it?s safe! You can all go to the Abyss for all I care!? Kavaki folded his arms and glared at Shannara. The paladin sighed once more and made his way down the ramp.

      The rest of the group had made it to the altar, which was up a handful of steep steps. As they were prodding at it looking for a way to open it, or find some hint to its make, there was a crash as the doors slammed open. They looked back to see the door they had just came through flung wide, a large cauldron overturned in the portal gushing oil. The slick liquid had already reached Kavaki, slipping him up and sending him sprawling down the ramp.

      The other three doorways had similar groups of kobolds, also pouring oil down the ramp. The oil surrounded the altar with alarming speed. Mandoon quickly leapt from the altar steps over the inky liquid and grabbed onto the edge of the bowl. Shannara and Rallaster, unable to accomplish such feats of athleticism, opted to instead wade through the oil. Moments after they entered, one of the kobolds placed a torch on the oil, igniting the surface and scorching anyone nearby. Kobold mystics then began lobbing chaotic spells down at the smoldering party. An ice bolt struck Mandoon immobilizing him on the ledge.

      Meanwhile, Arlen was reveling in the chaos and fire. He cast a spell upon himself, raising a chaotic shield, and then began lobbing spells at the kobolds guarding the doors. They returned fire only to find the sorcerer?s shield would lash out at them each time. Many of the kobolds fled, leaving only a scant few.

      Mandoon shook off the paralysis and lifted himself over the ledge. Clambering over the rows of chairs, he made his way to one of the remaining groups of kobolds. The two still in the doorway glanced at one another with wide eyes before slamming the iron doors shut. The remaining kobold from their group groaned in dismay as Mandoon approached him. It began to scramble away but Mandoon cut it down before it had made three paces.

      As the fires burned out, Mandoon returned to the centre of the room where his companions were standing around Kavaki?s prone form

      ?Get up,? Mandoon called out as he approached. ?It wasn?t that bad. At least we had some fun right??

      ?Krod,? Shannara said with a serious look on his face. The warden stopped and looked again at his friend. The warlord was completely still. Mandoon clenched his fist and slammed it into the altar.

      ?DAMN!?

      ?It?s not your fault,? Shannara said, trying to soothe him.

      ?But I walked in to such an obvious trap!?

      ?Yes, but he made the choice not to come with us, and that is why he?s dead.?

      Rallaster, who smouldered on the floor nearby, coughed a laugh. ?Ain?t that just a funny turn of events??

      ?We can bring him back,? Shannara said. ?Squire had a ritual that will bring his soul back to us.?

      Mandoon stared off blankly at one of the upper doors. Only his eyes could see the spirit of Kavaki slowly drifting away, making rude gestures as he passed through the ceiling.

      ?I don?t think so Shannara.?

      That?s right kids; we have a sad twist to our tale of daring do. The warlord is dead, and because Luke can be thick sometimes he won?t come back to us. Not for any particular reason. I mean we want him to still be alive, he likes playing the character, and he?s more useful than another striker class (which is what he wants to bring in instead) but no? Because Luke doesn?t understand this is a GAME that we?re trying to WIN we?re down a healer and a party member until the end of Dragon Mountain. And we thought it would be a waste to buy healing potions because we had him? Oh well.

      I?m on vacation this weekend so there won?t be any Mandooncaps, but maybe someone will write something so I know what is going on?for once. Try not to fumble until I get back.

-BEN

      I think it should be known that this week?s recap is written under a great deal of strain. I mean how can you describe group of people stumbling through a long, twisting path, being shot at from all sides by and unassailable foe? I?m sure it?s possible, I just haven?t tried yet and the task seems like it may be a daunting one. So I decided, maybe that?s not what this week?s recap is about. Maybe what we learned this week is that sometimes heroes can fail?hard. Why is that do you wonder? What could possibly cause someone so great to bend so easily? Maybe it?s because one hero lost his will to fight, to try. I know it?s all based on dice rolls on our end, so that means I need to find an explanation for why the outcomes are what they are.

      This week, the party discovers a surprise in the antechamber to the guest halls beneath Dragon Mountain after failing to find a magic sword within the swamped Halfling area. With the Gnome burrows left to explore they head there next and meet a strangely helpful and eerily silent kobold. Also, I?ve added two weeks in because I was really busy in between the past two sessions. Where will our adventurers end up I wonder - oh wait I already spoiled it. Tell me if you?ve heard this one?

      A warden, a paladin, a sorcerer, a wizard, a warlord, and an avenger all walk into a mountain?

(Mandoon-Ben)(Shannara-Adam)(Arlen-Kyle)(Squire-Chris)(Kavaki-Luke)(Rallaster-Andrew)

      ?Does anyone else hear that noise?? Mandoon said as they re-entered the antechamber of the guest halls.

      ?Aye,? Rallaster said, ?Sounds like someone gurgling up blood in their last moments.?

      ?Pleasant,? Shannara said, shaking his head. ?I am curious as to that noise?s source though.?

      ?Or why we didn?t hear it earlier,? Mandoon added.

      ?I did,? Rallaster said. ?I just thought it was some kobold dying. Didn?t think it was important. It?s coming from over there.? The avenger pointed to a pile of stained cloths upon a nearby stone bench.

      Approaching cautiously, Squire parted the cloths with the end of his staff. Within was a tiny kobold, giggling to itself. It grabbed onto the end of Squire?s staff and burbled at him.

      ?This is beautiful,? he said, reaching down to scoop up the lizardling child.

      ?Yeah, easy kill,?

      ?Shush, Rallaster,? the paladin warned, ?it?s a defenseless infant.?

      ?Then we should defend it,? Squire said, breaking off a piece of journey bread and offering it to the baby. The tiny kobold sniffed the chunk of bread, then gave it a cursory lick with a long, forked tongue. It then recoiled away from the proffered food. Squire cocked his head at the child and then looked over his shoulder. ?Mandoon, what do kobolds eat? Mandoon?? The warden was on the far side of the room, glaring intently at the wall.

      ?Fish, I believe,? Arlen offered. ?For the most part anyway.?

      Squire worked a quick cantrip and then offered the bread once more. The child licked it again, and this time lunged forward and quickly devoured the piece with it?s already razor sharp teeth.

      ?What did you just do,? Kavaki asked.

      ?I simply made the bread taste like fish. It?s not hard when you know how. Now, what are we going to name you little one??

      ?Kobold Bait,? Rallaster muttered, earning a smack from Shannara.

      ?Maurice?? Kavaki said.

      ?No,? Squire said, ?I think Texas. Yes, Texas Volcano.? The wizard patted the kobold on the head as Mandoon strode back over to the party.

      ?You?re naming him as your own then, Squire Dangerous Volcano.?

      ?Wait,? Rallaster said waving his hands back and forth. ?You?re name is Squire Dangerous Volcano!? The avenger doubled over in laughter. Mandoon grunted and both he and Squire glared at their violent companion. Rallaster?s laughter quickly subsided under their gaze and he gave a quick cough to explain his outburst.

      ?I don?t see a problem with it,? Squire said to Mandoon. ?Kobolds age quickly and it might be handy to have such a spry creature with us in the capacity of a scout or something.?

      ?You don?t see the problem, Wizard?? Mandoon eyes widened. ?What do you think this child symbolizes? The kobolds are terrified of us. They?re fighting scared, and are so afraid they are willing to leave their young behind to save their own necks. We?re destroying families with our actions and I was totally oblivious to it.?

      ?You?re reading too much into this, big guy,? Rallaster said. ?Kobolds are just cowardly.?

      ?They care for their young, same as any race. I?ll have no part in destroying these creatures of the earth any longer. Aberrations and the dragon I will help you with, but no more.? With that, the warden strode out of the room into the gnomish burrows.

      ?That could be bad,? Kavaki said, staring after Mandoon.

      ?Indeed,? Squire said, resting the child gently within a nest he had made in his pack from clothes. ?Someone want to hold all this stuff for me,? he said gesturing to a pile of items he had collected thus far.

***

      The central chamber of the low-ceilinged gnomish burrows was home to a kobold ambush. The draconic creatures had converted the guest hall into a makeshift barracks. Somehow this changeover had made the dirt used in its construction even dirtier.

      Mandoon moved to the front of the party as soon as the battle began, not trying to harm any of the creatures but merely keep them back. They leapt upon this sign of weakness, focusing on the warden for their initial attacks. Squire and Arlen moved in behind Mandoon and unleashed a pair of magical bursts. The conflagration sent most of the kobolds skittering or falling back dead. The warden unleashed a burst of cold to separate the other close range party members from the fleeing creatures.

      The kobolds did not immediately flee though, as Rallaster popped into their midst with his teleportation magic. The kobolds converged on the single target, hurling everything they could find at him, even rodents and other vermin they picked up off the ground. Their attack only subsided as Kavaki and Arlen burst their way into the fight, driving the kobolds even further back. Mandoon pursued in an attempt to knock the kobolds unconscious, but only arrived in time to watch Rallaster pounce upon one and cut it down as another two fled around the corner.

      Mandoon rounded that corner to see Squire and Shannara standing in a doorway set into the packed-dirt wall.

      ?If you wouldn?t mind, Mandoon, we need to keep going,? Squire said, gesturing at the wooden portal.

      Mandoon grunted as he stepped up to the door and planted his heel against it. The rotted wood splintered beneath his boot, giving way to a small, dark room that looked as though it was being used by the kobolds as a barracks. Rallaster poked his head in and gave the room a quick scan.

      ?There?s a piece of paper in that pile of straw in the corner.?

      Squire?s face screwed up in a look of revulsion, ?I don?t think I want to pick that up.?

      ?It?s a bed, wizard. Why would they keep their pisspot in the same room as themselves??

      Mandoon walked up to the pile and pulled the piece of parchment out of the hay.

      ?It?s a map,? the warden said. ?A very poor one at that. It depicts some stairs leading to a skull at the end of a twisting corridor with arrows pointing at it from within the walls.?

      ?Well that sounds like a trap to me,? Rallaster said.

      ?Probably best to avoid giant skulls and staircases if at all possible then, right??

      The avenger rolled his eyes and exited the room. The rest of the group followed a minute later after examining the map, but Rallaster had disappeared.

      ?Well where the hell did he go!? Squire cried, hurrying a few paces around the circular hallway that ringed the central chamber.

      ?Right here,? came a voice from one of the nearby doorways. ?I caught us a hostage. Found him peeking out of a closet in here.?

      ?Well I speak their language so let me try and talk to him,? Squire said. Rallaster dragged the small kobold over to the group as Squire made his way back and kneeled down in front of the creature. The wizard began speaking a strange, hissing language, punctuated by rasps and clicks. In response, the kobold simply flailed his arms, making grunting noises.

      ?He hasn?t got a tongue,? Kavaki cried, pointing at the kobold.

      ?Well he?s no good to us then,? Rallaster said, drawing his axe and leveling it on the kobold?s skull. With a flash Mandoon?s hand lashed out and clubbed the avenger in the face, sending him reeling backwards. As he regained his balance Rallaster growled and glared at Mandoon.

      ?That doesn?t mean we kill him, human. Not anymore at least.?

      ?Why the hell have you gone soft Mandoon? What do a bunch of kob-? He trailed off as the kobold began scribbling something in common in the dirt. Squire watched intently, nodded, then began speaking in the strange language of the kobolds again. The group watched the exchange for a moment in silence, until the kobold just began shaking its head over and over.

      ?What?s wrong,? Mandoon asked.

      ?Show him that map we found, Mandoon.? The wizard said. The warden produced the rolled up piece of paper and held it up for the kobold. The creature leaned forward and scrawled two words in the dirt with his gnarled claw.

      Black Death

      ?Well that sounds pleasant,? Rallaster said, peering between Mandoon and Squire.

      ?Can he take us there?? Mandoon asked. The wizard rasped a few words, to which the kobold nodded and stood up. It scampered to the tunnel leading out of the burrows and beckoned them to follow.

      ?Should we really trust that thing?? Rallaster asked.

      ?How bad could it be?? Squire replied, following after the kobold.

      ?I really hate it when he says that,? the avenger said to Mandoon. The warden nodded grimly before moving to catch up with the wizard.

***

      ?I swear to the gods wizard if you ever say those words again I?ll kill you,? Rallaster yelled before disappearing from view, only to reappear beyond the portcullis. ?I knew this was going to be a trap.? The avenger glanced at his companions on the other side of the iron bars for a moment, then hurried off down the corridor. ?Good luck, folks.?

      The walls in the winding corridor were perforated by arrow-slits behind which the glint of deadly steel could be seen hovering, waiting to be set loose upon them. The kobold they had dubbed No Tongue had led them here, to a hallway that abruptly met a portcullis. As soon as they reached it, the first volley of arrows had been launched, cutting into the party. It was then that Rallaster had tried to make his escape.

      ?Mandoon would you mind getting this gate,? Squire said, launching a fiery burst at one of the walls, cracking the stone beneath the intense arcane heat.

      The warden glanced at the portcullis and let out a heavy sigh. He gripped the bars and hesitated. He gave them a cursory lift to test their weight, but they did not budge. He tried again, but without much more effort than the first attempt. Arlen scoffed and teleported himself to the other side as well and sprawled on the stone floor before a wave of arrows hit him.

      ?What?s wrong with you Mandoon,? Squire cried. ?We?re going to be feathered head to toe if you don?t hurry up and lift that gate.?

      ?I just don?t have it in me wizard. It just doesn?t seem to matter anymore.?

      ?What?? The wizard hurried over and pushed along with Mandoon, the two easily moved the bars out of the way. The warden braced himself underneath the spikes of the portcullis as the rest of the group passed beneath it under another volley of arrows.

      ?I just feel like a murderer at this point. I?m causing more harm than good doing this.?

      Squire passed under the gate and moved down the hallway before the sound of arrows being loosed at his back made him dive forward, forgetting the baby in his pack. The bundled kobold slid forward on the polished, stone floor, stopping several feet away from Squire. There was a lull in the bow fire, followed by the sound of cackling laughter form a few of the arrow-slits. Several arrows clattered off the stones right beside the baby kobold, one narrowly passing by the child?s head.

      Mandoon let the gate fall behind him with a resounding crash.

      ?You little bastards,? he shouted, drawing his halberd and stabbing it into the nearest arrow-slit. A wet gurgling noise came from beyond. Squire used his arcane powers to pull the newborn back to his arms, and then made for the second gate, Mandoon close on his heels. As the warden reached the gate he stowed his weapon and immediately lifted the gate out of the way.

      ?Let?s give these bloodthirsty munchkins what for,? he said as the others passed through the gate.

      ?That?s the Mandoon we know and are kind of afraid of,? Squire said, cradling the kobold baby trying to soothe it. ?Now this will be piece of cake.?

      ?What did I say about that, wizard,? Rallaster?s voice came from up ahead. He and Arlen were struggling against the next gate, trying to get it open under more arrow-fire. Mandoon hurried over to help pry the gate up. 

      ?How long can this possibly go on for?? Squire asked. Mandoon dropped the gate with a heavy clang as the rest of the party glared at Squire.

      ?What??

***

      As they sealed the door shut behind them the rest of the water drained into the adjoining corridor. In unison they sunk to the floor and began panting heavily.

      ?What the hell was that?? Mandoon gasped. ?Five rooms? All with arrow-slits. We must be on the right track with all these defenses.?

      ?And those?things,? Rallaster said to the stone tiles, ?What were those??

      ?I have no idea,? Mandoon said.

      ?Did you guys see when I sawed a bunch of tentacles of one of them??

      ?I was too busy trying to get the one out of my head, thanks,? Mandoon replied.

      ?This foul place truly holds many horrors for us,? Shannara said, pushing himself up along the wall. ?Shall we press on??

      The rest of the party groaned loudly and began struggling to their feet. As they shuffled, near lifeless, down the corridor, they arbitrarily took the first right and walked until they came to a door. Shannara lead the way through into what appeared to be an antechamber. The kobolds stood in the opposite corner of the small room, lazily waving sticks at one another. Startled by the intruding humans they leapt to their feet.

      Before they could move, Arlen unleashed one of his more powerful spells, wrenching one of the pair towards death?s door. Mandoon let loose a low growl.

      ?We don?t need to kill every living thing we encounter sorcerer.?

      The kobold crumpled into a heap on the floor.

      ?Sure we do,? Rallaster said, running towards the other creature with his axe drawn. Mandoon reached out with the butt of his polearm, soundly striking the remaining kobold and rendering it unconscious.

      Quickly, the group tied up the kobold and then waited until the creature regained consciousness. As it awoke, the creature began shouting in draconic. Mandoon and Squire stepped forward and tried to restrain the creature as it squirmed against its bonds.

      ?What?s he saying,? the warden asked.

      ?He keeps shouting Black Death will soon rule. Garunak is strongest.?

      ?Rule what? The mountain??

      ?I would guess so.?

      ?So then who rules it now??

      The wizard hissed at the kobold, punctuating The wizard hissed at the kobold, punctuating the sound with a loud click. The kobold stopped squirming and then looked at the two adventurers with wide eyes. It began to shake visibly and then tears rolled down its eyes.

      ? Inyrana?Dragon? it said, then bit down on its tongue as hard as it could. The terrified kobold was dead in moments.

      ?Well, that was informative,? Rallaster snorted from where he leaned up against the wall. ?You should probably all know there is another group of kobolds in the next room. They heard your little friend there and now there?s an ambush waiting.?

      Mandoon drew his halberd and moved towards the door.

      ?Perfect,? he grunted, kicking the wooden door as hard as he could.

      To tell the truth, the story goes cold after this. We fight a bunch of kobolds, and then apparently wander around aimlessly for four hours real time after an extended rest. I don?t know exactly what happened, that?s just what Luke told me. I went home at this point because I had to work?or something?I don?t remember really.

      Anyway, sorry that this one was crappy, and really late, and crappy. Enjoy anyway.

      So here we are once again: A group of friends, a swamp, and a map that is still missing a piece. So what do we do? We order a pizza, break out the dice and the whiteboard, and start yelling. This week we have:

      Adam, playing the death-defying paladin, Shannara

      Andrew, playing the homicide-committing avenger, Rallaster

      Chris, the fire-balling wizard, Squire

      Kyle, the chaos-wielding sorcerer, Arlen

      Luke, the initiative-granting warlord, Kavaki

      Ben, the long-reaching warden, Krod Mandoon

And      Shawn, the monster-wrangling DM

      Due to delays (i.e. girlfriend returnal) this recap encompasses two weeks? worth of content.

      ?I really hate swamps,? Mandoon grumbled as he trudged through the mud.

      ?Relax Krod,? Shannara called back from the front of the group, ?I see something like a shrine up ahead. I think we?re almost there.?

      ?Almost where,? Mandoon shouted. ?We came out here on one of Squire?s hunches.?

      ?Looks like I?ve been right so far,? Squire said, grinning.

      ?Because monsters have been attacking us? Monsters have been attacking me my whole life. I couldn?t leave the Clan Hall without a giant spider trying to web me up.?

      ?There are monsters everywhere,? Rallaster said.

      ?And here is no exception it would appear,? Shannara said, pointing at two rangers standing to either side of the shrine?s entrance.

      ?Two humans with bows does not a monster make, Shannara,? Mandoon drawled. As they made their way closer, the ranger?s snapped to attention and nocked arrows in their bows. ?I?ll make this quick.? 

      As Mandoon stepped forward and drew his halberd, the swamp around them began to stir. A throng of the walking dead rose up to either side of the warrior as he moved, bringing him to a stop.

      ?That might do it though,? the warden said, dropping low to prepare for the hobbling horde?s advance. He harried their approach, slowing them with threatening jabs with his halberd. It was more than enough he knew, as he heard Squire begin his arcane muttering at the back of the group, sending ice cracking up from the ground and freezing the zombies. The swamp beneath their feet grew slippery, slowing their advance even more. As the first two groups closed in on Mandoon they were blasted back by a wave of chaos. Mandoon?s head swiveled to see Arlen grinning at him.

      ?Really, Sorcerer? Every time??

      The hordes rose up and began making their way across the ice once more. Mandoon thrust his halberd up into their ranks as they approached, and waited for them to get closer. He waited until they were just within his wide reach, and then threw his halberd back into the group behind him that had been attacking Shannara. With a mighty sweep he brought his weapon around in a wide arc, crackling with energy and pushing back the throngs once more.

      Rallaster moved up along the edge of the frosty terrain and leapt from his magically made shadows to prick at the zombies? ranks. The pair quickly cut down the remaining creatures and turned their attention to the rest of the party.

      Shannara had almost cut down one of the remaining throngs, while Arlen was launching bolts at the other, which had been caught on the far side of Squire?s zone of ice. The wizard himself was plying all his energy to controlling an icy, skeletal hand, which he was using to hold one of the archers in place. Mandoon turned his attention to the other archer in time to see an arrow flying toward him. It struck his chest hard, catching him off balance and sending him skidding in the mud.

      He got up, growling and charged towards the shrine. One of the archers was crushed by Squire?s summoned hand as the other fled, heading towards the swamp. Mandoon veered in his course and was joined by Shannara. The two caught up to the ranger and moved to either side of him to cut him down in tandem. 

      Wiping the mud and gore off the blade of his halberd, Mandoon began striding towards the shrine. The others quickly fell into position around him, Shannara taking the lead.

      ?I?m getting sick of this place,? the warden muttered. ?This better not be annoying.?

      The door to the shrine was ajar. As he pushed it open, Shannara stumbled back at the overwhelming smell of rotting flesh. Mandoon strode past him into the centre of the room and dropped low with his halberd. At the far end of the room, a trio of clerics surrounded their leader, a man wielding a heavy chain.

      ?Where is the piece of the map,? Mandoon demanded.

      ?We?ll never tell you, goliath scum!? the chain-wielder cried. The warden responded by lashing out at one of the approaching throngs of zombies, piercing through three of the creatures.

      ?So be it,? the warden ginned.

***

      As he wiped the gore off the end of his halberd, Mandoon peaked into the one of the rooms adjoining the central chamber of the shrine. It housed a large, somewhat comfortable looking bed, along with a few other amenities of a religious leader. Behind him the rest of the group were talking about the last battle.

      ?That was a really nice shot with that prismatic orb, Arlen,? Squire said, clapping him on the shoulder.

      ?Thanks wizard,? the sorcerer said with a proud smile. ?I guess you?re magic worked pretty well too.? Squire let his hand dropped and turned away, moving to join Mandoon.

      ?Find anything??

      ?No,? the warden replied, ?and I don?t intend to. I?m tired of this swamp, and I?m tired of fighting the undead. This map piece is probably booby-trapped, judging by that deviant bastard with the chains. So I?m done.? While he complained, Mandoon moved to the side of the bed and plunked down on the lumpy mattress. The sound of paper crinkling beneath him gave him pause, and looking beneath the sheets he found a rolled up piece of parchment. Unfurling the paper revealed a map of a section of countryside marked by a large ?X? under which Dragon Mountain? was written.

      Mandoon looked up at the wizard with a sheepish grin.

      ?Found it.?

***

      ?So this is Glenhollow??

      ?Aye.?

      ?Seems like the population is a little hollow.?

      ?Har har, Mandoon.?

      ?Shut it, wizard.?

      The group moved slowly along the abandoned main road in town, trying to peer through boarded windows and doors, looking for some sign of life. At the far end of the main drag they came to a tavern and an abandoned marketplace. Within the tavern, named for the town, there were very few patrons; gruff old men in groups of two or three, muttering to one another. As the group made to sit down, a small man burst in through the door and leaned against the nearest chair panting.

      ?Kobolds,? the man gasped, ?coming this way. Need help.?

      One of the old men scoffed, ?What?re we s?posed to do ye git o? a mayor? We can?na outrun ?em. An? theys got more magey junk than a blarming wizzerd. Migh? as well hunker down like las? time and wait ?em out.?

      Mandoon snorted. ?Really? Kobolds? We?ll take care of them for you.?

      ?For a price,? Rallaster sneered.

      The mayor?s eyes widened on the group. ?We can?t offer you much. Trade has been non-existent since that new mountain showed up on the horizon. But anything within our power is yours if you stop them from attacking us.?

      ?Free drinks for life,? Mandoon said.

      ?And any items of worth we find on the bodies,? Squire added.

      ?Done,? the mayor said. Mandoon  stood up and drew his halberd.

      ?Alright then, let us get in position then, chums.?

      Arraying themselves about the entrance to the town nearest to the market, the group dug in to hide among the stalls or the bushes; Except Mandoon who stood in the centre of the road, brandishing his halberd.

      ?Mandoon, what are you doing?? Squire rasped from a nearby bush.

      ?I?m hiding.?

      ?The hell you are!?

      ?This is how the Mandoon clan hides.?

      The wizard grunted and shifted in the bushes to get comfortable. It was a half-a-bell before the kobolds arrived, coming down the road. A signal from Rallaster alerted Mandoon that more kobolds were approaching from behind him. The warden turned and saw the group approaching from the other end of town. With an exasperated sigh the warden charged down the road, attacking one of the kobolds that poked its head out of a side street. The kobolds were attacking in squads of four, each armed differently, one, clearly a priest of some sort, acting as the squad leader.

      Mandoon dropped into his defensive stance and prepared for the group nearest him to approach. One of their number smiled at him and hefted a small box in its hands. Mandoon cocked his head in curiosity at the beast, which grinned back at him before hurling the small case at the warden. It burst against his chest, releasing a swarm of biting insects on him, which he had to swat at, allowing the rest of the kobolds to rush up towards him and stab him with his defenses down.

      ?What kind of attack is that?? the warden cried, finally squashing the last of the insects. ?I mean who-? He was interrupted as a second box, tossed from further into town, erupted at his feet, releasing another swarm. As he began swatting at this new infestation another box caught him in the head and burst.

      ?That is it!? he shouted. A group of four kobolds had gotten close to him while he had been occupied with the insects. He channeled the power of winter through his voice, unleashing a shout that froze the creatures and created a lingering zone the chilled to the bone. Meanwhile, the wizard slung spells over his shoulder, burning them up. Kavaki, who had been making his way up the other side of the main road found himself overwhelmed by several kobolds. Mandoon reached over, his arm stretching far and sprouting bark as he went, skewering the nearest creature. The warlord gave him a thankful nod and shouted an arcane word that helped Mandoon to knit his wounds. Moments later the kobolds had been routed and were on the run. Rallaster gave chase, glorying in the spray of blood as he chased the last of the ranging lizardlings down.

      The party reconvened outside the tavern after they collected all the magic items off the bodies. 

      ?Looks like you have some work to do wizard,? Mandoon said, glancing over his shoulder at Arlen. ?At least you?re good for something other than blowing yourself up.? He smiled at the sorcerer who scowled back at him. Mandoon laughed as he pushed his way into the tavern. ?Now where are those free drinks. We need something to kill time until morning.?

      ?What?s happening in the morning,? one of the patrons asked.

      ?We?re going to go for a hike,? Squire said, grabbing the nearest flagon.

***

      As they approached the towering mountain, Squire pointed the group towards a cart path that wound its way up one side of rock face. Mandoon cocked his head at the cut stone.

      ?Why would an evil mountain have a cart path??

      ?The villagers had said that there was a different mountain here before,? Squire replied. ?I suppose Dragon Mountain just appeared overtop of the existing foundation.?

      ?I guess that makes sense, but it will be a layer of hell and then some climbing up there. We should go around.?

      ?Aye, they?re probably waiting for us,? Rallaster grunted.

      ?What they,? Kavaki asked from the back of the group.

      ?The kobolds,? Mandoon replied, ?I doubt the lot they sent were the last of them. We should find another way up.?

      ?Not all of us can climb sheer rock, Mandoon,? Squire said. ?So lead the way.?

      ?I miss Shannara already.?

      ?Preachy bastard needs a few days to pray my ass.? Rallaster scoffed, taking the position behind Mandoon as they made their way up the ramped path. ?What you think they?re gunna toss at us??

      ?Rocks probably,? Mandoon replied, warily glancing upward.

      The group was on the third tier of the path when some rubble tumbled down just in front of them. All eyes shot up in time to see a kobold duck back behind the ledge high above. A tense moment passed, and then a dozen kobolds popped up with bows, launching a volley of arrows down at the party. A few more appeared a breath later, pushing heavy rocks over the edge. Mandoon made to run forward before the arrows could hit him but went straight into a cluster, one piercing his calf. He growled with rage and looked back to see his friends, having defended against the volley for the most part, taking cover in crags along the cliff face. Mandoon followed suit, rolling into the corner formed by the path and the sheer wall. By some dumb luck a rock still struck him, tearing him from his hole and nearly sending him over the edge. He caught himself and was up in a flash, roaring in rage. He leapt at the rock wall and began tearing his way up the side. The kobolds above scattered away from the ledge at his furious approach. Kavaki, also possessing goliath strength, followed suit.

      Reaching the summit just before Mandoon, having had an easier path to climb up the mountain, Kavaki was met by a pair of ballista bolts being fired at him. He ran towards a large reinforced wooden door in the rock while Mandoon pulled himself over the ledge. Brushing himself off he saw the two ballista emplacements the kobolds had constructed. Thinking of his friends, who were no doubt making their way up the path still, he ran to one of the raised emplacements and scrambled up the wall leading to it amid bow fire from the other one. Reaching the platform he found several kobolds milling around one of the ballistas. They panicked before the raging goliath and after a few hasty bow shots they retreated through another, smaller door. Mandoon gave chase and tried to kick down the door, but it was too heavy and had been barred on the other side. Mandoon then began hurling his magical, returning hand axe at the other group of kobolds to keep them busy while his friends approached. Once they were in range, Squire and Arlen unleashed their magic on them, causing them to flee through their own door.

      ?What took you so long,? Mandoon called as he dropped down from the emplacement. Squire gave him a sarcastic smile and Arlen glared at him. Rallaster brought up the rear, strolling casually up the path.

      Kavaki emerged from between the two heavy doors and beckoned them to follow.

      ?You guys should come see this.?

      Beyond the doors was a dark, vaulted entry chamber, on the other side of which was a semi-raised portcullis. As they assembled in the centre of the room the portcullis began to rumble as though it were about to drop. The group started and ran towards the opening, sliding under the iron bars just before they crashed into the stone floor. Standing and observing their new surroundings, Arlen groaned seeing another portcullis just ahead, this one already down.

      ?We had best start searching for a switch,? Squire said, patting along the nearest wall. Mandoon scoffed and moved up to the gate, gripping the iron bars near the base. With a heave he slid the bars up into the ceiling and held it there.

      ?Found it.?

      The group passed into the next chamber, this one a massive hall. The light of their lanterns could not illuminate the whole chamber, but as they moved forward they soon go a picture of the room. Steel bars blocked entryways into what appeared to be cages every few feet along the walls. In the centre of the room two wide, steel columns, marred by holes, seemed to support the roof despite their impossible design. Around the entire room, twenty feet up, there was a balcony. Two ramps, attached to the roof by chains, led up to the north and western portions where there were more closed portcullis gates.

      While they debated as to which direction they should go first there was a horrible squealing noise from somewhere above. The chains attached to the ramps pulled taut and quickly raised their wooden loads out of reach. Not a breath later, kobolds appeared in the holes marking the pillars, brandishing bows.

      The party quickly began launching whatever they could at the kobolds. Rallaster, who has without a ranged weapon, sprang up the sheer steel pillar and slew the kobold within. He then disappeared up a ladder within the pillar. A moment later he came hurtling back down and leaping out of the hole, magic bursting behind him. Each kobold they cut down gave way to another one. The fight was proving to be an endless one so the party moved to a blind point in the room and made their escape by climbing up a rope they grappled to the railing on the balcony. The next portcullis was easily lifted away by Mandoon and they found themselves in what appeared to be a guest area.

      ?This is proving to be a very accommodating mountain,? Mandoon said, closely examining a plaque that read ?Elven Hall.?

      ?Or at least it was,? Squire said, pointing to another plaque. ?According to this, the area is under the control of the ?Dredknotts.? Probably a clan of kobolds.?

      ?Lovely,? Rallaster said, ?more scaly bastards to gut.?

      ?Well let?s try this Elven Hall first, then. Maybe there will be some left over magic from their stay here.? Mandoon said as he pushed open the door beside the plaque he had been reading. It opened up into a forest, contained within an impossibly large chamber in the mountain. False sunlight glowed from somewhere along the ceiling. Trees were growing to either side of a path that still remained clear despite the overgrowth. In the distance, along the path, a few buildings could be seen between the trees.

      As they neared the edge of the compound the ground began to rumble and there was a snapping sound like branches breaking. To their side one of the trees was uprooting itself and twisting into a humanoid shape. Mandoon leapt to meet the creature, turning into a tree himself. He and the treant exchanged blows, Mandoon keeping the beast?s attention on him and not allowing it to attack his companions. Holding back a mighty blow Mandoon turned to Squire.

      ?It?s a tree, wizard. What do you think you should do? Light him up!?

      The wizard nodded with a smile and summoned a large, flaming skull which he sent barreling into the treant?s side. The tree-man burst into flames and while it was distracted the rest of the party surrounded it. Mandoon kept its attention while they whittled it away, hacking at its bark until sap poured out and it fell down dead, its leaves burnt off.

      ?I didn?t know it was so easy to kill you, Mandoon,? Arlen jibed as the warden resumed his goliath form. Mandoon grinned menacingly and flashed his ring of fire protection.

      ?I prepared for my weaknesses, sorcerer,? he said prodding the small human?s chest with a finger, pushing him back.  ?Did you??

            Going to keep this short. I?m continuing on with the ?story? format of re-telling our adventures. Trying to focus this week as if it were only from Mandoon?s point of view. Everyone else will be included though so don?t worry. So this week:

            Mandoon, the goliath warden (Ben): Wanted for long-distance break-and-enter.

            Squire, the human wizard (Chris): Wanted for crab-based arson.

            Kavaki, the goliath warlord (Luke): Wanted for criminal negligence of important documents.

            Shannara, the elvain paladin (Adam): Wanted for faking his own death.

            Arlen, the human sorcerer (Kyle): Wanted for burning down a building he was trying to save.

            The sound of a hooting owl from the swamp made Mandoon cringe upon his log. Standing he stretched out his legs and back and looked over at his two sleeping companions. Only Squire and Shannara had been willing to take the short route back to Colven because it ran so close to the swamp. Legend had it the swamp was cursed, but Mandoon had never held much stock in the stories of peasant farmers and their gossiping wives. He began pacing around the small campsite, impatiently awaiting the dawn. He hated being up this early and taking last watch.

            The sound of a branch snapping drew Mandoon?s attention northwards, back to the swamp. Against the darkness he could make out three pairs of eyes, glinting in the firelight, each coming from a different direction around them.

            ?Everyone up now!? he shouted, grasping the haft of his halberd over his shoulder. With his other hand he pulled an alchemical sunrod from his belt and struck it against the ground, bathing the surrounding area in light. He then shoved it back in a loop on his belt and looked up at what had been revealed.

            Padding slowly towards the campsite were a trio of basilisks, hissing and flicking out their forked tongues. Mandoon sighed as he turned back to his companions.

            ?More of these overgrown lizards, boys,? he grunted.

            ?No,? Squire said, dusting off his robes and collecting his staff and longsword, ?these ones are a bit different. Their breed is known to seldom attack, but rather they compel their quarry to walk straight into their den so the whole brood can feast.?

            ?Lovely,? Mandoon drawled as he turned back to face them. They were still slowly progressing forward, encircling the group. ?Do we want to do one a piece or take them down one at a time??

            Squire growled out an arcane spell, calling up an obsidian skull to spray fire on two of the basilisks. ?Whatever works for you, Mandoon.? A wide grin spread across the warden?s face as he dropped down into a defensive stance. As the basilisks moved within range he lashed out at each in turn, punching through their scales with his long-reaching halberd.

            ?Now that?s what I like to hear,? he said.

            As the basilisks got in close, they reared up and their eyes went wide. Mandoon caught himself looking at one, and suddenly his head was swimming and he was reeling to keep his balance.

            ?What the hell is that?? he shouted.

            ?These creatures seem to have a great deal of innate power in their stare.? Shannara called back. ?Try to avoid it if you can.?

            ?Don?t think I?ll have much choice,? Mandoon grunted, sweeping his halberd around to slash at two of the nearest basilisks. Though they still moved closer, the creatures made no move to attack them. They just kept on staring with their deep, penetrating eyes. Mandoon got in close to one and was able to give it a few wounds before a shout from Squire brought his attention back around. Mandoon turned to see Shannara ambling away northwards.

            ?What are you doing?? Mandoon shouted after him.

            ?I just think North is the way we should be going,? the paladin replied as though he were hardly paying attention.

            ?Right into the swamp,? Mandoon was incredulous, his attention torn away as one of the basilisks moved to block him and stare him down.

            ?Not a bad idea,? Squire said with the same tone of apathy as the paladin.

            Mandoon roared and brought his spear down hard on the nearest basilisk, impaling its skull. He glanced after his friends once more, but they had disappeared into the darkness. He suddenly jumped as one of the basilisks latched onto his leg with its powerful jaws.

            ?So you wanna play then,? he quipped, grimacing from the pain in his leg. He raised his halberd high over his head and shoved it down between the beast?s jaws and his leg. He then pried the haft back in forth until the creature?s bottom jaw came loose and fell off. Then, with a quick turn of the polearm, he rammed the blade down the creature?s throat.

            Rounding on the third creature Mandoon met its gaze full on, staggering him back. He weakly swung out with his weapon, and then found himself totally unable to move.

            Come to the swamp, warrior. A heavenly voice echoed in his mind.

            He watched as the basilisk slowly began to make his way northwards, the way his companions had gone.

            It is quite nice there. You?ll like it. The voice continued.

            No. Mandoon replied with his thoughts, unable to move his lips.

            Come now, don?t be like that Mandoon. Forget about Dragon Mountain and come join us.

            And leave all that treasure? And the glory of killing the dragon that lives there?

            The basilisk had nearly reached the edge of the light cast by Mandoon?s sunrod. It stopped suddenly, looking back at the warden, and then blinking in what resembled confusion.

            You?ll be happy and comfortable forever. No more fighting. No more danger.

            Fighting and danger, Mandoon?s lips parted in a sneer. But that?s what makes a-

            ?MANDOOOON!? the warrior bellowed, raising his fists and shaking them at the starry sky above. In a flash he was charging towards the basilisk, lunging at it with his halberd when it was near enough. The creature ignored the blow though, barging past the warden. Mandoon blinked in confusion at the fleeing creature until he saw why. Coming from the other direction, Shannara charged through the tall grass, his longsword sheathed in divine light. He plunged past Mandoon and rammed his sword deep into the beast?s spine. It spasmed beneath the blade and then collapsed.

            As the paladin the dark blood of his blade, Squire returned to the camp as well.

            ?Where the hell did you guys go?? Mandoon demanded.

            ?Like I said, Mandoon, these basilisks don?t attack their prey.? Squire replied. ?They lure it into a trap. They must have a den somewhere in that swamp and were trying to bring us to it.?

            ?I came to about a hundred paces out,? Shannara said, ?and then tried to bring Squire around as well. He snapped out of it of his own accord though and we rushed back to help you.?

            ?Well no rush next time,? Mandoon grinned, ?I had it all in hand.? He spun his halberd around in his hand and then put it away in the same movement. ?Come on, let?s get some rest, we have a shiv to find in the morning.?

***

            ?I can?t believe Lothar knew NOTHING about the map,? Mandoon shouted, hurling a rock at a nearby stand of trees.

            ?Well we were already told he knew nothing about Dragon Mountain,? Squire said at his side.

            ?Still, he could have at least been more helpful.?

            ?It?s not his fault Mandoon. But we need to think now.?

            The group was heading south once more, heading away from the goblin village where they had been told they could find Lothar the Shiv. They had suspected the man, being an infamous traveler and suspected lowlife, would know something about how to find Dragon Mountain. Sadly he had proven to be useless, but well protected by a small militia of goblins and worgs.

            ?I?ve been thinking about that swamp,? Squire said suddenly.

            ?What? The one with a basilisk den??

            ?Yes, that one. It didn?t strike you as odd that those creatures traveled the span of miles to get to our camp. There must have been closer prey.

            ?You?re saying that they were deliberately trying to lead specifically us to that swamp.?

            ?Indeed I am, Mandoon.?

            ?That seems a bit unlikely. I mean, you may as well think it?s there because ?swamp? contains the letters for ?map.??

            ?Do you have any better ideas??

            Mandoon pressed his fist to the side of his head for a moment, and then grinned at his wizard companion. ?Not really.?

            ?Alright, to the swamp then,? Squire said, raising his voice so the others could hear. ?I think I know where this map piece might be.? He moved ahead a few paces and turned back to Mandoon. ?Besides, how bad could it be??

***

            ?This is really bad,? Mandoon said, slowly backing up towards the wizard. A few paces ahead on the narrow trail through the deep swamp, their new companion Kavaki, another goliath, was hacking away on his own against a horde of zombies. He seemed excited to be on a real adventure and was acting rashly. Further ahead Mandoon could see some muck-covered humanoids rear up out of the swamp and draw back bowstrings. How they intended to fire with soaking bows was beyond the warden?s concern at the moment, with three more hordes of zombies bearing down on the wizard and himself. Meanwhile, a little ways back Shannara and Arlen were facing down a pair of basilisks that had brought up the rear.

            ?I didn?t say this would be easy,? Squire grunted, lobbing a scintillating skull into one of the approaching throngs.

            ?No,? Mandoon corrected, ?You said exactly that.? He dropped down low and lashed out at the fringes of the approaching hordes. The distant archers launched their first volley, splashing into the water around Kavaki and a few piercing into his back.

            ?Don?t worry,? the warlord said with a wink, ?this is nothing.? His words seemed to hold true because the wounds in his back ceased their bleeding.

            As the last of the zombies were cut down, Arlen moved up passed Mandoon and Squire to hurl magic at the archers. Mandoon watched out of the corner of his eye as the sorcerer raised a shield around himself that reached out along the arrows? trail, piercing the archers each time they fired. The rangers quickly sought out new targets, firing at the other members of the party to push them off the trail and into the swamp where the basilisks waited.

            While Arlen continued to battle the archers, Mandoon and the others focused themselves on the basilisks. Shannara was once more taken by the reptiles? compulsions, but the Squire blocked him from proceeding down the path long enough for him to snap out of it.

            Waist deep in swamp water, Mandoon and the other goliath took to either side of one of the creatures and began hacking away at its scales. Back on the path, Squire stood against the other creature, blasting it backward with roars of thunder every time the beast moved in close.

            As the last of the archers fell, Arlen turned back to face his companions.

            ?You?re still fighting these things,? he cried. ?Don?t worry then, I?ll handle these two.?

            ?You can?t get both at once, they?re too far apart,? Squire shouted over the sound of arcane casting.

            Not listening, the sorcerer continued casting his spell: one of his trademark bolts of chaos. With all his might he hurled the ball of energy against the nearest basilisk. The scales on the creature?s face were burnt away instantly and the creature collapsed beneath the inky waters. The bolt bounced off the first basilisk and careened right back into Arlen. Blood sprayed from the sorcerer?s face and he was sent flying backwards onto the muddy trail. The bolt then bounced high into the air, then plummeted down into the other basilisk, killing it as well.

            Lying prone on the path, smoking, Arlen was motionless. Squire and Shannara ran up to him as Mandoon and Kavaki trudged back through the swamp. The paladin squatted down and lifted the sorcerer?s head.

            ?Arlen! Are you alright,? he said, lightly shaking him and slapping his face. The mage?s eyes flickered open, stark white against his blackened face.

            ?Did I get them??

            So that?s what happened in our first session of this week. Stay tuned for more Mandoonic Adventures here on the free internet.

            Once more we find ourselves at the opening of a new week, which means it?s time for a new story about everyone?s favourite Warden with a wide reach: Mandoon. I?m going to be trying a slightly new format this week; much more story like rather than a simple recounting of the battles. I?m just doing this because I?m bored and would like the practice and nobody reads these anyway. So this week, Mandoon managed to show up before the adventure started instead of smack in the middle only to disappear again. After having heard about the vampire fiasco last week (very high defenses), we expected a tough fight ahead of us. How blind we were. We have a new member joining our ranks, although he himself is a bit lowly. I dunno if he was ever around before in a recap, but I?m too lazy to go check the archives? Though you should, cause it?s a good way to get a feel for who we are: A bunch of murderous psychopaths who act out our sick fantasies of brutality upon small plastic miniatures. So this week we?ve got (in no particular order):

Shanara, our elvain paladin who laughs in the face of death saving throws. (Adam)

Squire, our human wizard who will summon you up a hot plate of crab. (Chris)

Arlen, our human sorcerer who thinks he?s a powerful wizard, but only on an even roll. (Kyle)

Rallaster, our human avenger who will kill you even if you don?t look at him funny. (Andrew)

Tebas, our elven druid who embodies nature?s most vicious killer: the badger. (Luke)

Mandoon, our goliath warden who is, in himself, a burst 4 attack. (Ben/Me)

Evan, our NPC human fighter made into a real boy to save his girlfriend. (Dan)

?So who is this soldier?? Mandoon said, stooping to pick up a decaying rose. Its white petals were slowly turning black and falling off. He sighed and glanced at the human a few paces behind him, struggling to walk in the plate armour they had given him. ?He doesn?t look like he?ll be much good in a fight.?

?Evan?s intentions are noble, Mandoon,? Shanara replied in his soft voice, ?He wishes to save his love from this Agronimous?s clutches.? Mandoon scoffed.

?He looks like a liability,? he said, turning to see Rallaster striding up past the fighter. The avenger looked back and Mandoon saw Evan visibly pale. ?You shouldn?t scare him like that.?

?I still say we just kill him,? he muttered when he reached Mandoon?s other side. ?Better at our hands then some troll, if the rumours are to be believed about this bastard Agronimous?s hiring standards.?

?You know I can hear you all, right?? Evan piped up from behind them. The three looked back in unison and Rallaster snarled. Evan slowed his gait until he was among the other members of the party.

?He?s not all that bad, kid,? Squire said, clapping him on the shoulder and leaning in close to whisper. ?Just try not to look him in the eye. He takes that as a challenge.? Evan gulped and began to shake visibly. The three spellcasters laughed and each gave the fighter a pat on the back.

Just before noon the group arrived at the gates of the near-abandoned town of Beleme. Standing to one side of the raised portcullis a troll guarded the entrance, glaring at them with yellowed eyes. It wore a motley or armour much too small for its hulking body and carried a chipped, double-bladed axe that stood as tall as a normal man. It let them pass with a sneer, Mandoon and Rallaster giving it a hard look as they edged past.

The town was all but deserted, a few emaciated peasants scurrying about in the shadows trying to avoid the newcomers. The buildings they passed had fallen into disrepair and the cobbles beneath their feet were uneven. There were a disturbingly large number of burnt out foundations that could have once been shops or inns. As they reached the central plaza Mandoon pointed at the large keep down the main thoroughfare.

?That it??

?Aye,? Evan replied.

Mandoon smiled and reached up over his shoulder to the haft of his halberd. ?So do we just smash in and gut the bastard or do we want-? He was cut short as Squire clubbed him on the back of the head with his staff.

?A bit of subtlety, yes,? the wizard said, flashing Madoon a wry smile, nodding towards two passing guards who were eyeing them.

?I suggest we go to the Beleme Inn to discuss this privately,? Evan said.

?Is it a nice place?? Shanara asked.

?Aye, in that it still has walls. Agronimous has had all the other inns and taverns destroyed.?

?Explains where they got all the materials for the keep?s fortifications,? Mandoon said pointing at the keep gate. ?Well let?s go to this inn then and think this through.?

?We won?t have much time,? Evan advised. ?Word has probably already reached Agronimous of our arrival.?

***

            After a brief round of ale and a coded conversation at a back table in the Beleme Inn, the group marched their way up to Agronimous?s keep. They came to a halt on the far side of a drawbridge over a moat that Evan told them was another recent addition. Upon the drawbridge, four large trolls stood brandishing heavy clubs and wore a similar uniform of ill-fitting armour.

            Tebas stepped ahead of the group and greeted one of the nearest trolls.

            ?Hail good?troll. We seek an audience with your master.?

            The troll grunted and barred its teeth, hefting its club. Tebas scuttled back into the ranks of his companions. Mandoon sighed and stepped forward next, calling up to the men visible on the battlements.

            ?HEY! We want to see Agronimous. Let us pass.?

            ?No one sees the master without an appointment.?

            ?Are you sure about that?? Mandoon called back.

            ?Very!? the man replied, folding his arms across his chest.

            ?If you say so,? Mandoon shrugged, and without signal Squire ignited the troll with an arcane shout. Within the flames Mandoon was sure he could see the shape of a crab. He chalked it up to the ale and drew his halberd.

            The two trolls in front proved much to slow to dodge their initial assault. After a few swift blows from Mandoon, Shanara, Rallaster, and Tebas, the trolls were already reeling. As they came forward to counter attack Mandoon noticed that the wounds of the one that Squire had not enflamed were starting to heal.

            ?Keep it up with the fire mage!? he cried. ?I don?t think these bastards will stay down otherwise!?

            As the two trolls from the other side of the bridge charged in Rallaster faded into shadows and reappeared behind them. Tebas turned into a small falcon and took wing, nimbly dodging in between the flailing trolls to also land in behind. He then moved them all close together by warping the wood beneath their feet, allowing Squire to unleash another large burst of flame. Mandoon, standing near the burst, was unharmed and unphased by the flames, the magical ring he wore protecting him. Soon the last of the trolls went down in a fiery conflagration and Mandoon looked up to the battlements.

            ?Can we see him now?? he called, but there was no response. He grinned to himself and leveled his halberd and the human guards now assembling in the courtyard. They were spreading themselves out to best avoid the wizard?s flaming bursts. ?Looks like they?re using tactics, Arlen. Would you mind terribly showing them their plan?s weakness.?

            ?I need a moment to prepare.?

            ?More for us then,? he said, charging forward with Tebas. The druid shifted into the form of a celestial dire badger and loped into the first guard, tearing at his jugular. Mandoon was not far behind, lodging his halberd deep into the next guard?s chest. As he pulled it free a crackling bolt of energy shot past him, striking one of the guards and sending him flying. The bolt hovered a moment and then hurled itself at the next guard, and then the next, until the keep?s courtyard was bereft of defenders.

            ?See,? Mandoon said, reaching a hand back to prompt Evan forward. As the young fighter approached the warden wrapped his arm around his shoulders and gave him a little shake. ?Easy, right?? Mandoon steered Evan forward leading him into through the main doors, which had been left cracked open. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom of the hall he let his arm drop from the young man?s shoulders, cursing under his breath.

            The hall was crowded with trolls standing tall enough to nearly reach the ceiling with their lanky arms. Large, lizard-like creatures prowled about the hall as well, weaving between the trolls.

            ??Ware the basilisks, friends,? Squire said, readying his staff. ?To even meet their gaze will see you poisoned.?

            ?Can we handled this,? Evan asked, looking up at Mandoon, whose skin had taken on a the texture of the bark of a tree. Evan backed away as the warden grew another foot, branches sprouting from his shoulders and his arms twisting into thick branches. Evan looked to Squire for explanation, but the wizard?s eyes were already glowing a frosty blue, and aura of energy was leaking out from him. Evan turned to face the trolls in time to see ice instantly begin to form on them as they began to shiver.

            From the back of the party Arlen spoke. ?Don?t worry, I?ve got this.? He said, and began casting a spell. The rest of the group readied themselves to attack when suddenly Arlen let out a curse. They turned to see a troll standing beside Squire instead of the sorcerer. Mandoon blinked and glanced back at the troll where, sure enough, Arlen was standing in the place of the troll who was now behind them. With an exasperated growl Mandoon lashed out, his lengthened arms allowing him to strike the flanking troll even at twenty feet away. He then snapped his arm back, bringing the halberd back whistling through the air to strike the troll nearest to Arlen. He then strode out onto the icy surface that now encompassed a large portion of the chamber, slowing him down, but allowing him to put most of the trolls within his range.

            Meanwhile, Shanara and Evan came up the left side of the chamber, attracting the attention of three of the trolls. The beasts opted to attack the fighter at first, sensing him to be a less practiced warrior, but paid for it grievously as Shanara?s divine protection shielded the young man and lashed out at those that would do him harm.

            At the back of the party, Rallaster slipped behind the troll that Arlen had swapped places with and focused on attacking it, assisted by Squire, who harassed it with his spear while continuing to hurl arcane fire at the trolls that Mandoon and Shanara were attacking. Mandoon?s unusually wide area of attack allowed him to send the occasional blow out at the trolls attacking Evan, felling one while defending himself against another two and one of the basilisk. The basilisks themselves had trouble keeping the party poisoned, the group being able to shake off the worst of the effects with ease, Shanara most capably with the magical armour he had recently obtained from the third amulet shard?s guardian.

            As their numbers began to dwindle, one of the trolls struck a fearsome blow against Mandoon that tore through his bark and sent a mix of sap and blood splattering against the icy floor. The warden straightened himself and raised his halberd, the weapon glowing with retributive magics, and thrust it straight and true into the creature?s heart. He dislodged his weapon, leaving a gaping hole in the creature?s chest that quickly began to knit itself. The beast struggled to its feet and took one last swipe at Mandoon before Arlen burst a ball of acid against the creature?s chest, cauterizing the wound and leaving the creature dead.

            Ignoring the small side doors in the chamber, the group moved directly for the set of double doors at the far side of the hall. Shanara wrenched them open, revealing an opulent throne room. Pillars marked every fifteen feet, leading up to a dais upon which a single throne sat. As they entered the man sitting in it sprang to his feet and gripped an amulet around his neck.

            ?That?s him! That?s Agronimous!? Evan cried.

            ?Well alright,? Mandoon bellowed, charging forward. ?Maybe this will at least be a challenge.? The warden?s first attack went wide and as he brought his halberd back to make a second attempt the Lord of Baileen muttered a magical word and his amulet gave a vibrant, red light. A troll slowly took form before him, blocking Mandoon from attacking the master. The rest of the group charged up and quickly hacked the troll down. Agronimous backed up, drawing his blade and unleashing a burst of lightning that forked into those nearest to him. The branching electricity then recoiled back, forming around the man and sheathing him in a crackling aura. Those that were closest to him could do little else but dodge the lashing electricity, even as Squire worked a spell to protect them from the lightning?s burn. The wizard then culled up a flaming crab an icy pincer which, along with Shanara, Rallaster, and Evan, pinned Agronimous to the back wall.

            There was a shout at the door and they turned to note that a group of guards had come to aid their master. Believing his companions had the Lord in hand he rushed over to stand twenty feet from the entrance and readied his halberd. The first of the guards charged in and Mandoon turned his haft at the last second to cut through the man?s defenses and impale him easily. The second guard slid to a halt upon seeing his comrade?s death, and desperately hurled his spear at Mandoon. The warden easily deflected the missile with his weapon. The other two guards were apparently mages, who launched a pair of magical bolts that struck true, causing Mandoon to grunt. Arlen came up behind and threw a bolt of chaos at one of the mages, missing narrowly. Mandoon stomped up to the guard that had thrown his spear and now stood unarmed. The goliath brought his face within inches of the man and snarled, then shot out his arm, stabbing one of the mages that were preparing a second volley behind the guard. The man sobbed physically, and was quickly incinerated as Arlen launched a blast that encompassed both the guard and the remaining mage. Mandoon turned and gave the mage a dirty look as they made their way back to the dais.

            ?Always have to ruin my fun,? the warden grunted. Arlen laughed and tossed another bolt of chaos at Agronimous. As Mandoon approached he relieved Evan, who had been sorely wounded, and helped continue to box the Lord of Baileen. The man looked up at the massive goliath in time to see his halberd flash forward and then knew only darkness.

            Mandoon freed his weapon and turned to the group. Squire, strip him of anything worthwhile, and then see if you can?t find us the map piece with that amulet of yours. The mage nodded and took a few items off the corpse, handing them to whoever had room to carry them. He walked to the centre of the room and pulled out the amulet, muttering a spell. The trinket sprung to life, lifting parallel to the floor and tugging the wizard. They followed its pull through the corridors of the keep. The guards they encountered were too intimidated to stop them as they barged through all the rooms. The amulet soon led them to a rolled scrap of paper in a glass case. They grabbed the second piece of the map, and then set about finding Evan?s captured love, Nikki. They found her in a hastily constructed cell at the end of a long corridor.

            ?He was horrible,? she sobbed as Evan unlocked the door to her cell. ?He wanted to do indescribable things to me, but I was able to deny him. I knew you?d come for me, my love.? As the cell door opened she flung herself into his arms and they embraced passionately. Mandoon and Rallaster both scoffed and looked away.

            ?Can we go now?? the avenger growled.

            ?I believe so,? Shanara said. ?I hope this town will be able to recover with its evil lord now defeated.?

            ?It won?t matter if this Dragon Mountain appears and the whole countryside finds itself in flames, will it?? Mandoon grunted. ?Let?s move, boys.? He then turned and strode from the makeshift prison.

            ?Thank you once more, brave adventurers,? Evan cried after him.

            Rallaster tugged on Mandoon?s sleeve as they made their way out of the keep.

            ?Are you sure I can?t just kill him?? he whispered.

            ?I think that would be very unheroic of you, Rall.?

            ?So??

            So there you have it, another successful recap of our activities; now longer and better described?sorta. Anyway I want some feedback on this puppy. Would you like to see more like this? Or should I go back to the ole? Journals of Mandizzle? Let me know either via the comments or email me @ ben_metaldragon@hotmail.com ?preferably email.

Until next week,

Ben, the bibulous bard

      Hey gang, Ben here with another tale of swords and Mandoonery from the world of Andwaith. As I said in the last recap, Mandoon has now hit paragon and gained an additional plus 1 to melee reach. With this in mind, he spent last week?s session travelling to buy a halberd, making him a burst 3 attack in melee. Now, returning triumphantly to the party, Mandoon finds his friends mid-way into a crypt that seems disturbingly well furnished; almost like a sort of subterranean mansion. Anyway, gangs all geared up and ready to roll so let?s get to it.

      This week:

(Adam) Shannara, the elvain paladin that just won?t stay down

(Chris) Squire, the human wizard that no longer sees his friends as something to aim away from

(Kyle) Arlen, the human warlock who leaves everything up to chance and hates 19s

(Luke) Tebas, the elven druid who has a thing for badgers, badgers, badgers, badgers?.

(Ben) Mandoon, the goliath warlord that?ll stab your from across the room for looking at him funny

And

(Shawn) The DM, a universal force of order and strategic swarms of mindless beasts

      To our dearest readers,

Mandoon is not far now from the greatest challenge he will ever face in his life. Everywhere he turns the Dead rise from the earth to block his way and try to add him to their numbers. This week?s adventure is no exception. Returning to his friends once more, rearmed with a halberd, he finds them in a peculiar crypt. The tombs builders had constructed bizarre chambers, like ballrooms stocked and ready for a party. Mandoon begins to wonder if Dragon Mountain? will truly be worth travelling through these dark corners of Andwaith.

      This damnable crypt reaches out to us with each passing moment, trying to make us permanent residents. Each doorway hides a few more undead that try to end us. Even with their small numbers they tax us sorely and we have barely scratched the surface of this place.

      Upon my arrival Squire and I took a moment to transfer the magic from my greatsword into the new halberd. He put a charm in the blade that allows me to bring swift retribution upon enemies that strike true against me. We then proceeded further into the crypt, coming to what looked like a ballroom. The dance floor even had a few patrons whirling about, though they quickly stopped upon noticing our arrival. Several pairs of skeletons formed a circle around a duo of wights who had seemed to be leading the dance. It was a bizarre sight to catch the undead dancing, but they quickly sank to their usual role of shambling towards us, raking at us with their necrotic claws and blades. The skeletons crumbled easily beneath our blows; the arcane casters hurling spells to burst their bones in magical fire.

      The wights were a more dastardly foe though, using their inherent ability to sap away our life force each time they struck. Though we defeated them, it was this vampiric power that drained us the most; and my companions were already wearied from two previous encounters in the living quarters of the crypt?s builders. Shannara opened a door near where we had entered the ballroom, only to be immediately struck by two waiting skeletons? swords. They had been lying in wait inside a small storage closet that housed party supplies; yet another mystery added to this twisted place that maintained a visage of life even when surrounded by death.

      These skeletons were a new breed from any kind we had seen before. They would swipe at us with their blades to soften us, and then followed it up with a second attack, launching a shard of necrotic bone that stuck in the skin and festered, draining away its host. The constant drain of the bone shards overcame us even as we defeated the skeletons, with Shannara being his so hard that he lost consciousness. He didn?t stay down long though, his magical armor and human resilience keeping him alive. I was not so lucky though, and when one of the skeletons brought me down I was able to invoke the Rite of the Bear and return to consciousness, but was quickly dispatched again by another pair of solid blows. My companions quickly set about fending off the skeleton that downed me, while Shannara administered a healing potion so I could return to the fight.

      Upon defeating the remaining, we decided to use their hiding place as a shelter and attempted to bed down there for a few hours. Not ten mintues into our rest though we heard a shout coming from the ballroom, followed by the sounds of magic being used. Hurrying into the room we found one of our missing fellows, Tebas, battling swarms of spiders. As we moved to assist him a spectre appeared behind him and blasted him with psychic energy. The swarms moved with brutal efficiency; placing themselves perfectly to lash out at as many of us as possible with their poisonous bites. The tomb spider swarms were the least of our worries though. The lingering spirit of one of the crypt?s patrons continued to appear and attack us, only to disappear once more. Even after we cleaned up the last of the spiders, the ghost proved too hardy for our attacks, and most of our blows and spells were turned away. Finally we laid it to rest though, and decided that it would be best if we retreated to the surface to rest.

      We awoke early the next morning, those of us with human blood complaining of having heard the crypt calling to them in the night. I smiled at this, telling them that if they didn?t like it than we should do something to quiet these spirits. Returning to the ballroom, Tebas informed us that the spiders had come from the set of double doors on the south side of the room. We decided that we would explore that door second, and instead opened the small door on the far side of the room from where we entered. We were met by another storage room, this one housing musical instruments, as well as two wights wielding blades. They were challenging foes, but at least did not sap our strength as some of their ilk were prone to do. Squire informed us that they were weak to fire, and began hurling flaming spells at them. They were area spells, and I frequently found myself in the radius, but Squire?s war wizardry and my magical ring allowed me to resist all the damage. While most of us focused on one of the creatures, Shannara kept the other one busy in the storage room. Once we felled the one, we ran to his aid, pinning the final wight in the corner and striking it until it ceased moving.

      And that?s where we left off this week. We?re almost at level 12, probably get there next week. I won?t be there though, so Mandoon has slipped into a meditative/drunk state.

            Dearest readers,

We are afraid this issue of the great retelling of the Mighty Mandoon?s adventures begins on a sad note. As he returns from yet another of his soul-searching sabbaticals, he is confronted with the fact that only Squire the wizard remains of his band of heroes. Deeply saddened, Mandoon vowed at the end of his last entry to never leave his companions waiting for him, and he would push hard to conquer the damnable Dragon Mountain to see that their lives were not lost in vain to one of its scaled denizens, a Volcano Dragon. Outside a mansion of which we know little, Mandoon prepares to cleave his way through this ?paltry man-house? within the hour. He has no idea how right he was.

The thick brush surrounding the mansion tugged at my hide armour as I hurried along the freshly cut path that I was sure had been recently made by my allies. Sure enough, at the far end of the overgrown grounds was a group of men, clustered around the door to the malevolent abode. However, of the three faces there I only recognized one. Squire gave me a dismayed look as he saw me approach. The sorrow of recent events was plain on his face. He took me aside and informed me of our recent losses. They had been ambushed by the same vampiric tattoo artists from before, who had formed a covenant with a volcanic dragon. They had died in the fiery inferno emanating from the brute, and Squire had only barely escaped with his life.

Two more great men had fallen on our quest to save Andwaith. I swore upon the mighty Earth herself that I would see no more heroes die in the shadow of this dreaded pile of stone. Strong in my resolve to avenge their deaths I returned to meet the two newcomers, a sorcerer named Arlen and a paladin named Shandara. They seemed tough enough to carry their own weight and more than willing to see this quest through to its end. Together we stepped to the doorway, the dark aura of the building creeping forward to embrace us. The paladin led the way and tore open the set of doors, opening into an entryway. Even here the undead that roamed these halls had taken up posts, and the paladin was first to act, smiting the nearest zombie with his blade. The creature fell easily, but its bloated corpse exploded, hurtling chunks of flesh into us as well as its comrades in the room. This set off a chain reaction, sending more undead bones and other shrapnel into our ranks, wounding us all grievously. Cautiously, we limped our way into the entry hall. As the last of us entered the door swung shut of its own accord and an indecipherable ghostly whisper began to emanate from the floor above. Not only were we now sealed in, but two of the skeletons who had been in the room and felled by the exploding zombies stood back up, raking at us with icy claws. Without delay we felled the skeletons each once more and this time they stayed down.

Proceeding west we were met with a similarly occupied room, more skeletons and zombies of the same ilk. Employing more strategy on this offensive, we attacked at a range, setting off the chain reaction before it could begin, then cleaning up the remains afterwards. Proceeding north from there we entered a dining hall where more of the same awaited us, all easily dispatched.

At the far end of the dining hall, a staircase led down into the basement, where there was a storage room filled with more of those damnable exploding zombies. Squire advised that we leave them be, saying that it was too taxing on us to continue fighting these mindless beasts when more dangerous fare could lurk above. Heeding his advice we barred the way up the stairs with the dingy chairs that remained in dining hall, and then jammed the table up against the doorway to further hamper any attempt at pursuit by the walking bombs.

Proceeding up the stairs at the other end of the dining hall, ignoring more rooms that we assumed contained the creatures that seemed to plague the main floor, Squire?s theory was proven correct. A band of wights awaited us at the top of the stairs, and as we moved into battle we found that their necrotic attacks siphoned away our life force piece by piece and slowed us down. I took the form of a guardian oak so that their claws would chip and break against my bark, while Squire worked a spell to help us resist their attacks. With these wards in place, we were easily able to mop up the wights, especially when Squire and Arlen both unleashed spells to harm those that attempted to harm them. A minute later the wights lay dead, knocked from their eternal unrest.

Bolstered by our victory, we hurried as fast as we could to the next room, trying to find the shard?s guardian before our excellent defensive spells ran out. The next room held no shard, though as we continued the whispers grew louder. More wights awaited us, but we were well equipped to withstand their attacks and were able to soundly defeat them within a minute. 

Our third minute on the second floor found us actually leaving it clear of enemies and proceeding into the attic. There, at the centre of a cadre of skeletons and a wight leader was the spectre of the shard?s guardian. A man cursed to protect it from what Squire told me. The arcane members of our party acted first, sliding into the room and launching attacks from behind the cover of some crates. Before either Shandara or I could move to help them though, a skeleton rushed up between us and blocked the door. As the remaining undead moved in on the spell casters, I sent up a zone of warding vines, to protect us all from their attacks. The ghostly caretaker began assaulting us with psychic powers, clouding our minds and rendering us unable to act. I then send out a blast of winter?s wind to push back a few of the skeletons. When one fell though, another would quickly move to take its place, leaving Shandara and my blades useless. Soon the ghost moved in to attack with its spectral blade, at which time Shandara and I were finally able to press through the last skeleton and enter the room. Squire had meanwhile summoned a flaming sphere and a creature known as an abyssal maw to assist him, which had drastically thinned the number of creatures in the room.

Before long, our assault became focused on the shard?s guardian, who fled only after sustaining a great deal of damage. He then began to float in and out of the attic, harassing us, but never moving within range for us to strike.

Scouring the room for the shard, we all rummaged through the various crates and barrels, trying to tune out the wails and mixed protests and praises from the ghost. Meanwhile, Shandara tried to reason with the man, but he seemed far beyond the state of sanity. We used the Shard of Righting to try and remove the curse that afflicted him and eventually were able to free him by confronting him with the new shard piece directly. Placated that his task was completed, he crossed over to meet the gods while his ancestral home returned to a state of normalcy.

            That?s right folks, we hit Paragon Tier tonight, so starting next week, the mad beats truly begin. A whole new wealth of powers has opened up before us, and Mandoon is deciding to take up the halberd. Why? Because it?ll allow him to strike a foe at a maximum potential of 4 squares away (20 feet). Math breakdown: 1 for normal melee, 2 for polearm, 3 for the Stoneblessed paragon path, and sometimes 4 for being a tree. Also at level 12, I can threaten that far away too. Bitchin?. The tight corridors of Dragon Mountain mean nothing to he who can strike from the other side of the room. I?m so excited.

            -Ben, the miscreant bard

The Journals of Mandoon, Entry 29: An Infested Return to Arms

                So I was out of town this past weekend, and I came back to find out that portions of my party had gone and gotten themselves killed down in some tomb. I don?t know what happened to them though, so that week?s recap is missing. Mandoon was off at some kind of gathering of his clan at the time and doesn?t know either. Therefore, we start this week with Mandoon?s return to the party, along with Chris?s character who was absent as well, at a convention. Setting out from Lillivend this week on a creepy-crawly adventure was:

                -Mariz, the Halfling Sorceror (Kyle)

                -Ocuthim, the Kobold Shaman (Adam)

                -Squire, the Human Wizard (Chris)

                -Titan, the Warforged Fighter (Andrew)

                -Mandoon, the meek, Goliath Warden (Myself)

                -And Shawn, the DM with a hard on for PC murder

To our ever gracious readers,

You may notice a shift in the Mandoon?s demeanor in this issue of his adventures as he reels over the loss of Mordo, one of his closer associates. Second-hand accounts tell us that around this time, Mandoon?s warden powers shifted season, from spring to winter. This might have been caused by the loss, or the time spent with Titan. This week Madoon is called upon to deal with yet another problem threatening the farmers of Lillivend. His associates and he decided they wished to be recompensed for their trials though, and demanded payment from the local reeve. Though the town could not muster much, they agreed to pay the group, now known as The Enterprise, if they could protect their lands. They agreed and hired on a new member, Titan, a man of wood fashioned for war.

                As we made our way to the northwest the path narrowed significantly, the trees reclaiming what had once been theirs from the packed dirt. The normal symphony of forest sounds seemed lessened somehow as we walked, as if something were missing from it. Then, slowly, a crescendo rose above our footfalls and the clacking of Titan?s darkwood frame. It was the tiniest buzzing, almost imperceptible, but it soon grew to a deafening roar as we came to a clearing. As we reached the edge of glen we saw the source of the horrible racket. A cloud of insects hovered high in the air in the centre of the field, writhing around in a twisting, living sphere. Beneath them a perforated mound of earth was piled up in the middle of a ring of trees.

                As we approached the hillock it began to rumble and shake and two swarms of ants crawled out and began moving towards us. Moments later the rumbling intensified and a beetle burst out in a cloud of dirt and flew lazily through the air to land beside me and attack. The ants attacked ferociously, crawling up our legs and biting us many times, poisoning us. My warden training allowed me to stave off the better part of the poison, though others were not as lucky. The beetle unleashed a spray of webbing the immobilized and blinded us, but as we tore ourselves free, Squire obliterated the swarms with waves of fire from afar while Mariz, Titan and I focused on the beetle.  The insects were easily crushed by our combination of steel and magic, the minor wounds they inflicted on us sealed almost instantaneously by our shaman and his spirit companion.

                With this first wave of bugs defeated we crawled Mandoon first into a tunnel that now lay exposed where the mound had been.  The claustrophobic tunnel wound deeper into the earth for what seemed like forever before we came to a small cavern. The subterranean room, lit dimly by a magical light cast on my blade by Squire, was littered with clutches of eggs. This dank hatchery was guarded by three large centipedes and two, smaller ones, that leapt through the air to deliver devastating bite attacks. I suffered one such strike early on in the battle, and the cat-sized insect barreled me over in my surprise. The larger creatures had terrible, reaching mandibles that delivered a most vile toxin that left wounds that quickly festered, immobilizing us.  Titan was able to keep one of the smaller, flying centipedes pinned down so it could not leap at us, while the rest of us quickly dispatched the other. Then we turned our attention to the larger ones. Squire summoned a flaming sphere into the rooms centre, roasting them. The roaring inferno rolled back and forth amongst them until they were no more.

                Another small opening beckoned to us, though we could see the other end from where we were this time. I was the first through, and as I stood up I witnessed a most bizarre meeting going on. There were more hordes insects here, but they were gathered around a small, chittering figure. The creature was so dirty that I could not discern its race, and as I drew my weapon their eyes turned on me as one. My comrades were entering into the room behind me as the dirty one pointed at as and twittered out a command. There were a few new insect types in the group: a swarm of venomous spiders, and a pair of wasps that flew around and attached themselves to our faces, trying to lay eggs in our gullets. Luckily they never succeeded.

                The combined toxins of the spiders and a second beetle that was in the room were a challenge, and Ocuthim had to work hard to keep us standing.  I was able to keep up a rigid defense, taking the form of a willow for what would be the last time. The movement of bugs repulsed me from this point on. Eventually we were able to bring down the filthy, raging leader. Cleaning him up revealed that he was in fact a goblin who had probably been trapped here during Draigdurroch?s freeze, and had to ally himself with the bugs to survive. There was no loot to speak of, so we returned to Lillivend empty handed. The reeve?s payment would be our only reward.

                As we reached the edge of town the reeve was waiting for us. Beside him sat a large chest and in his hand he held a letter that was sealed with the symbol of the local magistrate, Crom. The reeve handed over our reward and the letter and then returned to town. We crowded around Squire who read the letter aloud to us. It was a call to arms. We were being brought in to help quell gnoll raids on a nearby trading route.  The chest contained a magic item for each of, divined by Crom?s people to be the most useful to us on our adventure. I received a magical amulet that bolstered my defenses, granting even more strength with which to protect my companions.

Over the past two sessions we have been scraping up the low level creatures around the town of Lilli-something-not-Mandoon. Adventuring with our stalwart shouter are the heroes:

Squire, the wizard, played by Chris

Mariz, the sorcerer, played by Kyle

Mordo, the avenger, played by Andrew (of course)

Ocuthim, the shaman, played by Adam

Hamatten, the invoker, played by Luke

Mandoon, the particularly loud warden, played by yours truly

                        and

Shawn, the Delve Master, played by Shawn

            To our readers,

            In this second volume of The Journals of Mandoon, we explore the beginnings of his adventuring career. As you have read in the first volume, Mandoon paints an eloquent picture of his quests in his journals, but his complete lack of mastery of nouns make them difficult to decipher. Here we have collected and translated his journals for public consumption and hope you enjoy.

            Having triumphed over Winter itself, our Motley Crew made its way back to Lillivend across the fast melting grasslands. The wildlife had returned, and the land had sprung back to its usual, green self. Our return was only half-heartedly celebrated though, as the great thaw had not only released the ice's grip on the countryside, but so too had it unleashed the goblin hordes, who had grown restless in their frozen caves. They were ravaging the lands around the town, and local farmers were awaking to find their apparatuses absconded and there reserves revoked. We had no choice but to foray once more into the plains of Darkvale to crush the balance back in the favor of the meek.

            There were no tracks that we could follow, but a farmer pointed us west. As we journeyed with the sun at our backs into the early afternoon, the others joked about the Mandoon name. I allow it, because it is good to laugh at oneself. If they keep it up though well.

            We came to a bridge at high noon, the other side of which was populated with some of the goblins we were trailing. As the battle commenced I hurtled across the waving planks with uncharacteristic grace, crashing into the goblins on the other side. The battle was mostly fought our wizards, hurling magic at the crossbow wielding goblinoids. We knew we were on the right trail then, and carrying on only a bit further led us to our goal.

            The tower was a squat affair, with hastily placed stone bricks worn by age. The path was clear here, wrapping around the tower and carrying forking off in two directions around back. The outpost was clearly human, or at least was at one point. We moved towards the large double doors, and once everyone was in position I heaved them open... after a practice push, of course.

            The room on the other side of the door was filled with goblins milling about, many of them gathered around a central table playing cards. All action stopped as we entered, followed by the sounds of weapons being drawn. At the back of the room a hobgoblin shouted an order, pointing at us with his axe. Many of the goblins rushed towards us, pressing us in the doorway. Squire and Mariz used their arcane arts to push back many of the goblins at once. As the grunts failed, the hobgoblin ran in, cursing, to fight us as well. As he neared I slammed into him with my sword with such ferocity that it sent him careening through the air, back across the room. I then turned and let out a shout on a group of goblins coming up on my flank that shook the room and knocked them into the Darkness.

            Seeing he was routed, the hobgoblin made a run for it, but I was able to catch up to him and pin him down with my sword and by calling the roots to life around his feet. He was struck down outside the tower on the path, and left there without burial.

            The next floor proved treacherous. As we moved in, all was quiet. No enemies were to be seen at first, but someone spotted a few goblins behind a tapestry. Ocuthim moved out into the centre of the room and began attacking the snipers with his spirit companion. When I moved to aid, however, the floor gave out under me, sending me plummeting to the floor below, shouting on the way down. The first floor was now strewn with rubble, making it difficult to pick my way back to the staircase. When I did return to battle, much had changed. Skeletons had risen from a pile of bones in one corner of the room, the tapestry was hurling bolts at us, and a magical mist had been dropped over the party. Carving our way through the skeletons and around the large pit in the centre of the room, we came to the goblins behind the tapestry. Squire pulled it to the side, exposing the creatures, who were accompanied by a third goblin, this one wielding two axes, one glowing a vibrant green.

            This new goblin proved formidable, leaping over the small wall and running towards me. He planted both axes in my chest mid-way through our battle, and I simply grinned at him as my blood spurted forth. He had moved too close to the edge of the pit. I was able to side-step around his next blow and then batted him with my sword, sending him over the brink and into the pit. He cried out as he fell, much as I had, and hit the ground with a sickening thud. We could not see him in the pit, but assumed he was dead. A crossbow quarrel hit me at that point, rendering me unconscious. When I awoke, the battle was over, Ocuthim healing me with his shaman's totem.

            As I regained my strength and my wounds sealed I bolted back down the stairs to find the corpse of my goblin quarry, but all that remained of him was a hand axe planted in the oak door. Enraged, I hurled it out into the woods. That berserker will not last long when next we meet.

            The third floor proved to be the last, and our greatest challenge. Outwardly, it appeared as though we were up against a small goblin and his bugbear guard. The goblin demanded our surrender, but with only the two of them there, I saw no need. We charge into the room, but were met by a pack of wolves and several other goblins who had been waiting in a nearby pile of hay and old clothes. I called forth the strength of spring once more, granting my friends concealment from the blows of our enemies and turning myself into a tree. One by one our foes fell until the leading goblin was all that remained and he pleaded for his life.

            We looted the tower for what meager fare there was and loaded up all the grain and equipment we could onto one of Squire's arcane, floating disks. As we triumphantly returned the goods to their rightful owner, the farmer who had pointed us in the right direction, he let out a heavy sigh. I was confused; I thought he would have been happy to have his worldly goods returned. Apparently marauding orcs had passed through the area after we left, and since he had nothing of value, they kidnapped his daughter. He pointed towards the south, and once more we were off, helping this weak man reclaim his lost objects of affection.

            The orc compound was easily found as Squire and Hammaten knew of an old keep that lay in the direction we were heading. Sure enough, as we pulled open the iron gate, we were met by a group of orcs and a pair or fiery beetles. They were quicker that we expected and charged me before I could react. As we fought, an axe would occasionally come hurtling out of a nearby tower towards us. We beat our way through this first group and pursued the axe hurled in the tower into the main hall, but not before discovering the corpse of an elvain in one of the cages that lined the courtyard.

            The main hall was filled with orcs crowded around dining table, but they had had time to prepare, and had flipped a few tables to give themselves cover. I leapt over the nearest one and entered into melee with a group of orcs. As I beat them back, my associates began working their way across the north side of the room. Only a few seconds into the battle an orc stepped out of a small, back room and gave me a glare laced in eldritch energies that caught me off guard. We were able to best them before long though, and as the last of them fell our attention turned to the other door in the room, behind which we could hear terrible snarling.

            The door was at the back of a small alcove on the north side, so Mordo and I positioned ourselves in it to form a meaty wall between whatever was on the other side and our friends. We opened the door and were met by the smells of an orc sleeping quarters and wolf. A large wolf took up most of the room, held by an orc in finely wrought chainmail. As we opened the door, Squire sent a flaming sphere into the room that burned the orcs. I turned into a tree to better hold my position. Mordo held back the first charge of orcs, and then worked his way into the room. I followed suit and pinned down the great wolf so it could no longer move about freely. Hammaten summoned a wall of light to bolster our defenses, but it was not enough. One by one, we fell against the gnashing teeth of the wolf and the chipped, orc blades. Ocuthim then called upon his healing magics, bringing me back from the brink, and allowing me to hold back the remaining orcs long enough for him to get a few more people on their feet.

            Clearly overmatched, the well armored orc ran for the other end of the room, flinging open a chest and retrieving the girl that we were attempting to rescue. He held a blade to her throat and told us to let him go or he would harm her. However, it seems reasonable that if he were to make off with her we would fail in our quest just as much as if she were to die, so we pressed the attack; My warden powers would protect the girl if he tried to harm her while I was nearby, and if he killed her, then he would die.

            Seeing his hostage taking was useless, he made for the door, harassed by us the whole way. As he reached the doorway, the wizard Squire tricked the brute, and managed to wrestle the girl away from him. We struck him down within seconds.

            So I'm not around next week, and Mandoon has a clan function to attend, but stay tuned for the next foray into the mind of Mandoon in our next episode: Super Thunder Mandoon X : Revenge of the Porculous.